


coming up next

by Darkfromday



Series: Arc-V Rare Pair Week 2017 [7]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: Arc V Rare Pair Week, F/M, M/M, Multi, lateposting 2017, prompt fills
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-05
Updated: 2017-09-05
Packaged: 2018-12-24 06:40:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12007188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darkfromday/pseuds/Darkfromday
Summary: Prompt fills for Arc-V Rare Pair Week, Day 7: Tomorrow.





	1. equals (sayaka/shun)

_There!_

He’d finally spotted it: a round bob, a gleam of lavender hair.

“Hold up,” he called, sprinting across the park to catch up with her.

It was strange, really, Shun thought.  _Normally it would be her that was running after Ruri and me._  Lately though Sasayama Sayaka had been harder to track down than any of his other old colleagues.

Sayaka turned around as he approached and smiled.  _Is it me or is that smile a bit weaker than normal?_  

“Oh–-hi, Shun.”

“I’ve been looking for you,” he said simply, taking in her appearance to make sure she appeared healthier than she’d been before. “Ever since Zarc… I haven’t seen you at all.”

She hoisted her bag a bit higher on her shoulder. “Oh well… you know… I’ve been busy. I don’t really see Allen or Ruri much these days either.”

Shun frowned-–because yes, he didn’t exactly see Allen or Kaito around every corner these days either, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t seen them  _at all_. He and Ruri lived together, and they’d pulled Yuuto into their home again too; he’d given Kaito and Allen approving nods when he found them safe and sound while making rounds through Heartland early on. But she was different; he hadn’t seen or heard even a trace of her activities.

It came out a bit gruffly but he said “Busy’s fine, but Sayaka… I haven’t seen or heard anything from you. I thought you might be in danger.”

“You mean you were worried about me?” Sayaka asked. Her smile was more of a smirk at this point. Was she teasing him? “You can say that without anyone thinking less of you.”

From one moment to the next, she seemed to shift between being her usual soft-spoken, avoidant self to this newer, more confident personality that he’d never seen before. Yuuto had spotted her recently and relayed similar feedback when pressured–-but it was different  _hearing_  someone had changed secondhand, rather than seeing it himself.

“I  _was_  worried,” Shun admitted, but then struggled with what else to say. He’d curbed his unnecessary emotions for so long… “Academia may be long gone, but they were far from our only threat.”

She sighed, making him feel like he had failed some test, and started walking in the direction she’d been going before he called her. Shun followed, a little annoyed and puzzled at the same time.

“I’m glad you were concerned about me, Shun, but I don’t know what response you’re looking for from me either. I’m fine now; I have been since before everything went back to normal. I took on a job to replace the things I lost from my home, so maybe that’s why you haven’t seen me as much.”

He nodded as the pieces connected. Most of them.

_That still doesn’t explain why Sayaka is acting so… cold._

_Like I’m a stranger_.

Shun shook himself, and fixed his eyes on his friend’s. “I’m glad you’re fine,” he told her, “and that you’re storing things from before. There’s no other motive from me but making sure you’re safe and accounted for.”

Sayaka actually  _snorted_ –-her face scrunched up and her nose wrinkled adorably. “At ease, General Shun–-this isn’t wartime anymore, there’s no need for you to know my every move.”

“Yet isn’t that what you  _wanted_  before? Not so long ago you practically begged me to stay with our friends and help you survive the invasion-–”

“And you were  _so good at that_ , weren’t you?!” she snapped back, startling all the bite out of him. “So good that you ran off from home the moment it needed you most.

“I get it, Shun–-I’m no Ruri or Yuuto, someone important enough to run after. I wasn’t a Lancer, someone you trusted enough to keep at your back. During our occupation by Fusion, I learned I’m just a healer. I only fight in a pinch and even then… I might not win. But I could still be better. You may have hurt me when you left, but you made me stronger too. Now, even when you’re not around, I can stand on my own.”

He gaped at her, stunned by how the truth of her words blared out of her whole tiny body. This too was what was different–-she stood up to him, stood, and confident fire surged from her lips in the form of scolding words that recalled his faithlessness for him.

Leaving her behind had been barely an afterthought for him before--he’d judged her and Allen, his  _friends_ , as being too weak to carry on the fight and do what had to be done to those Academia bastards. Only now did he see his mistake. He’d left her behind to be consumed by fire, and instead she had tempered herself into steel.

 _I left behind a timid follower–-someone who practically worshiped my strength. In her place I’ve found someone new, who’s strong without any supports. She’s nothing like me, but she’s my equal now_.

“Sayaka…” he finally managed to say. “I never meant to say you weren’t important, or that you were somehow okay to leave behind.”

She tugged her jacket closer, her accusing gaze not relenting one bit. “Some things don’t have to be said to be heard.”

 _I know,_  Shun thought wearily–-or at least he was starting to understand.

“Hear me say this now, then–-I don’t see enough of you these days, and I don’t like it. None of us do, but…. Come out with me sometime, Sayaka. After work, come out and let’s have a duel or watch some of our rival schools in their tournaments–-or do something, anything, the way we used to.”

Sayaka gave him that strange not-quite-full smile again, not looking right at him. They were halted now in front of one of the few grocery stores that hadn’t been completely looted, which was still hesitantly restocking after all this time. With the way she looked more at the passersby and shoppers within than at him, Shun wondered if she was speaking to herself more than him when she next opened her mouth–-or if she’d been composing these words for months, nursing them until he found her.

“Thank you for the invitation, Shun. I’ll treasure it. I’m glad you do still see me as a friend after all. But right now… I’m afraid I have to decline. I still have things I need to do–-strength I need to show. Maybe in the future, I’ll think on it again.”

And with that said she bade him a softer, more gentle farewell and went inside to shop for who-knew-what. Shun stood watching her get farther away for a long time before he shook his head at himself and smiled, and went back the way he’d come.


	2. commute (serena/sawatari)

The train whistle jolted Sawatari Shingo out of what was definitely a casual slouch against the station wall and  _not_  an impromptu nap. He had about ten seconds to adjust his clothes and flip his bangs in their most flattering direction before his guest got off the train and saw him slouching at the prospect of seeing her again.

He still wasn’t quite ready when she hopped off and found him.

“Hey, Sawatari.” Serena greeted him calmly, with a brief wave, though he was sure he wasn’t imagining the shine in her eyes.

“H-Hey, Serena. Right on time! How’s, uh, how are–-uh–-”

They started off by going for a brief walk around the station and the area, which didn’t help his nerves one bit–-he just couldn’t get the simplest questions out.

She shook her head to cut off his stammering. “We’re doing fine. I see Dennis and Sora every day doing something–-whether it’s nuts or genius depends on what day. Edo is starting a duel school similar to Sakaki Yuushou’s and the Tyler sisters have offered to teach classes for it.”

“T-That’s really good!” he said, and meant it–-things sounded so much better with every update. “I’m glad everyone’s adjusting okay. Or–-” he counted on his fingers, frowning.

_Weren’t some people missing?_

“-– _almost_  everyone…?”

“Worried about Yuuri? Don’t be. He comes back around to the school sometimes, but he never stays long, and the Professor says he hasn’t caused trouble anywhere else either.”

Sawatari was less worried about Yuuri terrorizing others behind all their backs and _more_ concerned about Serena’s uncanny knowledge of his activities–-but he held his tongue, putting it to better use.

“So… I booked us a table at my father’s favorite restaurant–-did you still want to try Standard desserts while you were in town this time?”

Serena uncrossed her arms (a rare feat) and grinned (an even rarer one). “Lead the way. Don’t stop until we’re sitting down with sweets.”

“Yes ma’am!”

As they crossed three crosswalks and strode seven blocks to their destination, Serena asked him about the well-being of their other comrades–-and although he didn’t know everyone’s whereabouts or activities as thoroughly as she had known her people’s, Sawatari did his best to regale her with exciting-sounding updates about tournaments, pool parties and diplomatic dimension field trips that weren’t theirs. She seemed well entertained by his storytelling, which made him feel as warm as anything could no matter how many times he pulled it off.

Ever since the war ended, Sawatari and Serena had been visiting one another when time allowed–-first "diplomatically", to ease tensions between Standard/Pendulum and Fusion, and then just as friendly once-comrades-–and then a bit more than that. The official reasons had morphed from “to aid in reconstruction and recovery” to “to share time and space” very quickly, but what the others didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them.

And even if they  _were_ hurt, a punch from Serena would hurt them more.

They arrived and found a bustling bakery, and Sawatari was quick to remind the host of his reservation, ensuring that they got to their seats and were served as soon as possible. He was determined not to disappoint his lady, so ten minutes later they were served very sweet apple pie  _a la mode_.

“Not bad,” Serena decided. She licked a bit of ice cream off her lips and called for a slice of chocolate pie next as Sawatari sat gaping at her.  _My dad is going to kill me,_  he thought, but he pushed his reservations down and caught the arm of their waiter, gallantly saying “Make that two.”

The next slices of pie arrived as they were each finishing their first slices, and by then he had let go of any future worries about his father’s credit card bill, since he was now busy worrying about where he would take Serena next, and on her next visits after that.

His mind ping-ponged from  _we’ve already done duel stadiums and too many food joints for Dad’s election budget_  to  _I REALLY need to know if Yuuri is a threat to me_  and back to  _I haven’t even asked her where she’s taking me when_ I  _visit_ her _next week!_

Serena interrupted his crash course-thoughts with a finger snap and a fancy handkerchief that she wiped across his face. “Back to the present, pretty boy. You left chocolate on your cheek.”

“It’s the new style,” he bragged, taking her hand before it could move away.

Artfully she lifted one deep blue eyebrow; the pose was too good for even the finest painter’s eye. “Not just anyone is allowed to grab me–-at least not without getting punched.”

Sawatari instantly let go, mockingly shielding his face. “Ah, no, wait! Please don’t get the face, it’s my best side. The whole thing. Ladies go gaga for Neo New Sawatari’s mug.”

“‘ _Ladies’?”_  Serena snorted, leaning back into her chair. “You’re overexaggerating again. No one but me finds this goofy thing you call a face attractive.”

He blushed deeply at the backhanded compliment, and tried to heed her earlier order without distracting her or himself.

“I’m back, I promise. Just wondering…. You’re still having fun going back and forth, right? Traveling with me? You haven’t gotten bored, or-–”

“No,” she responded immediately. “Seeing Standard,  _really_  seeing it, has been rewarding. It’s given me something to look at that isn’t wholly tainted by fighting and training and war. Showing the parts of Fusion that  _weren’t_  that to you is even more rewarding. My concern is…”

She broke off. Sawatari prompted her wordlessly, afraid to touch her. But eventually words did find their way back to her.

“I’m running out of things to show you. And I have been for some time. I can give you my quarters, my old comrades, few that I had, my training regimen, even the city that Academian students come from and some of its attractions–-but no more.

“I don’t remember my parents, Sawatari, those people I was taken from to be trained in the first place. I don’t even remember if I ever  _had_  parents at all, or if that was just another one of Ray’s holes in my life.”

He bit his lip; it tasted like chocolate and ice cream and an unsteady but determined resolve to make her feel a little better. He wasn’t one for putting feelings on display unless he was going over the top with a crowd; but that kind of showcasing was the last thing she needed.

He’d have to come from somewhere more authentic instead–-something she had indirectly managed to teach him with her stiff, no-nonsense pursuance of all things honest and just.

“Serena, I’m not counting off how many places or things you show me. I’m not comparing them to what I shared with you, either. If–-if you took me to a rusty old tire hubcap and said it was your favorite place to stargaze, I’d sit there with you all night. It’s not the stuff–-it’s you. Who you were before or what you have to give doesn’t matter–-who I met on the way to Synchro, who I bonded with, is who I care about now.”

Serena looked down at her plate full of apple and chocolate crumbs, but it was obviously meant to hide the tiny sincere smiles she still didn’t feel comfortable showing–-so maybe he’d said some okay things after all.

“So then…” she ventured, “if we take a D-Wheel and my transporter  _back to_  Fusion later this week, and I show you some actual mundane hubcaps and bottle tops and other shiny objects…”

Sawatari grinned. “If we _do_ , and I hope we do, then I’ll be happy to sit back and let you show me anything you like. And I’ll take pictures so we’ll remember forever. Of every single dumb shiny thing.”


	3. band of brothers (gongenzaka/shun/dennis)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Is it a headband, a head scarf or a sash? Who knows. We just know Gongenzaka's is messed up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much to everyone for reading all these!
> 
> My birthday was yesterday, September 4. The only present I want is feedback. ^^

One morning, Gongenzaka Noboru’s signature head scarf frays and tears as he’s securing it around his sturdy hair.

That… presents a problem.

Not a  _big one_ , because Gongenzaka is nearly a full-grown man and he absolutely does not become overemotional or immobile over the loss of some  _cloth_. (Even if his father gifted it to him for his citywide Steadfast Dueling debut. Even if he’s never taken it off since then. Even if the two most essential men in his life have  _never seen him without his scarf_.)

So–-not a _big_ problem, no. Just–-big  _enough_  to have Gongenzaka frantically dialing his ride.

“ _Moshi moshi_ …”

“DENNIS, I’VE SUFFERED A TERRIBLE TRAGEDY–-”

“ _What’s happened?”_ Dennis Mackfield says through the sound of driving far too erratically. “ _Did someone get hurt? Did_ you _get hurt? Did your pet die? –-Actually wait, do you even_ have  _pets?”_

“ _Dennis!”_ Gongenzaka roars. “Cancel the meet-up, I cannot go out like this.”

“Cancel?  _We haven’t set aside time for this rumble and the trophy grab so you can flake out on Duel Day! The tournament’s been set for months!_ What  _has happened?”_

He stays stubbornly quiet about his woes, but that doesn’t mean he quits talking entirely. This leads to about five minutes of him and Dennis arguing back and forth about his reticence on the subject, interspersed with the latter swearing at his fellow drivers.

“Fucking merge _if you want to merge–-Er, ignore that, just tell me what’s happened, Gon-chan_ –-”

“ _Do not_  call me ‘Gon-chan’–-”

“ _Tell me what’s wrong and I won’t go any further. But regardless of what you say I_ will  _be at your house in five minutes!”_

“Gah!” Gongenzaka finally says as he caves, feeling more frustrated by Dennis’ pushiness than by his primary source of stress. “Fine! My very important headband is torn. And it’s never–-I’m not–-”

“ _Hey, easy…_ ” The other boy’s voice comes through softer, more like he’s trying to soothe instead of startle and rile. “ _It’s gonna be okay. I won’t be looking at you any different just because it’s gone, okay?”_

“My father gifted me with that band.”

“ _And he can make you another one, right?_ ”

Gongenzaka pinches his nose to prevent murder. “Hang up. Now.”

“ _Aa, you’re right, I shouldn’t talk and drive! These guys are nuts out here. See you soon!”_

“No, Dennis, I meant-–”

 _Click_.

* * *

 

Gongenzaka doesn’t say one word as he shuffled across town against his will in Dennis’ tiny green abomination of a car.

Not. One.

He asked  _specifically_  to be left alone to mourn his headband and–-

“Are you breathing over there?” Dennis queries playfully. “I seriously can’t tell, and I can’t exactly do reach-over CPR either.”

Gongenzaka is silent. He’s _not_ sulking–-just very, very indignant about having his feelings disregarded. Which is very masculine and mature. That’s all.

“C’mon, Gon-chan. Put on a brave face! We’re at the stadium now so uh, you kind of  _have_  to put on some other face…”

Dennis pulls into the lot and parks as he says this-–then he has to spend three minutes tugging, yanking and dragging his boyfriend out of his seat. The whole time Gongenzaka protests about honor and dignity and being robbed of both. He  _likes_  to look complete and in control when he goes out, and nothing’s  _wrong_  with that!

“I am diminished,” he says dramatically with a bite of judgment. “A true man never leaves home without being presentable, Dennis. When have I ever done otherwise?”

Dennis smiles slyly.

“What about that time when we were all home alone and we–-”

“ _Other than that time!”_

A pair of boots shows up behind Dennis; seconds later the redhead is hoisted up and literally tossed aside, squawking the entire time. When Gongenzaka looks up his eyes alight on a red bandana scarf, and he thinks  _oh, great_  with a mixture of resignation and appreciation.

“You’re making a scene,” Kurosaki Shun scolds. His gold raptor eyes narrow for half a second. Then he smirks. “That’s mostly directed at Dennis.”

“You guys are always so  _mean!”_   Dennis whines from the asphalt.

Gongenzaka meets Shun’s gaze and grunts. There’s no way he’s going to be allowed to slink home now.  _Only_ I  _could fall in love with the two people in the world more stubborn than me_.

“I can’t join the team for Duel Day,” he admits to their third.

Shun  _scoffs_. “What the hell? Why not?”

“Myscarfrippedthismorning–-”

“Say again?”

“ _My head scarf tore_ ,” Gongenzaka hisses, trying to avoid attentive eyes on them. It doesn’t work–-two small girls stare at him like he’s grown an extra dragon head as they skip into the stadium.

“That’s  _it?”_ Shun gasps–-still on the ground, Dennis nods along and squeaks about how  _that’s what_ I _said, that’s_ why _I brought him here anyway, why the hell did you throw me over here, Kurosaki you suck_.

“Yes, ‘that’s it’. If I took off  _your_  bandana would  _you_  feel comfortable still being seen outside?”

“Well, since he  _lost_  his bandana for almost a year and only remembered it when LDS mailed it to him–-”

“I will step on you,” Shun growls to Dennis-–then he pushes Gongenzaka a little more playfully. “You’re a man, aren’t you Gongenzaka? Push past your admittedly minor adversity and join us in the stadium. We need you.”

Gongenzaka curses.

It’s easier to ignore Dennis rather than Shun–-for Gongenzaka, one boyfriend was too boisterous, too willing to grasp for the spotlight, but the other was much quieter and more measured, much easier to understand and be around. Not so long ago when they had fought side-by-side for survival, Shun had been the first Lancer outside of Yuuya that Gongenzaka had trusted. They constantly partnered together for reconnaissance and preemptive strikes on the enemy. Yet… even then, their partnership had felt incomplete until Dennis started tagging along and constantly invading their space.

Dennis’ betrayal of the Lancers shortly after that broke Gongenzaka in a way no one had ever managed before, and it set Shun back almost irretrievably as well. Their reunion after the unification of the dimensions, ages and ages later, wrung from all three a tentative re-connection, and then over time a promise not to tamper with their brotherhood ever again.

 _Never again…_ Gongenzaka thinks now, and sighs as he nods at Shun and helps Dennis up reluctantly.  _Not even for my father’s gift. Our bond is too important for me to be this upset about nothing_.

“All right, all right. I’ll come in. Are our riding suits ready for the D-Wheel segment of the tournament at least–-?”

Shun waves a hand. “Already taken care of. Along with this for you–-”

He pulls a long black sash out of his coat pocket and ties it around Gongenzaka’s hair with Dennis’ aid, as if he’s not completely changing his life and healing his last hour of sorrow.

“ _EH?”_

“That’s what I was trying to tell you!” Dennis exclaims. “Except, you know,  _surprise_ , so I couldn’t. We know how much you care about your sash, Gon-chan–-so we wanted to give you another one that you’d care about just as much, but from us.”

Gongenzaka stares at them both, speechless.  Shun just smiles. Unused to quiet moments even now, Dennis misinterprets their boyfriend’s flabbergasted state and blabbers on.

“Hey–-not that we won’t fix your dad’s sash for you if you really want it back, jus–-”

The magician doesn’t get to finish; Gongenzaka has embraced both of them and is murmuring low thanks over and over. He feels ridiculous for being so obstinate and for nearly bailing on his comrades, but from the way they both return his hug, they don’t seem too torn up about it.

“ _Thank you_ ,” he says gruffly one last time, and feels some pride when he doesn’t tear up afterward.

“Shun-kun picked the color,” Dennis mumbles into a sleeve.

“Don’t call me  _Shun-kun_ ,” Shun grumbles into Gongenzaka’s other sleeve.

“Ugh, no one likes my pet names! How am I supposed to show my affection for you guys to the world?”

“Duel with us in this tournament,” Gongenzaka reminds him.

Shun adds firmly, “And use only our given names for once. Preferably  _in private_.”

Dennis pouts. “You two are no fun. Why do I bother loving you?”

“We keep you out of trouble.”

“Gongenzaka, we keep him out of  _jail_.”

“Okay, enough!” Dennis huffs, unable to keep a smile off. “Get your scarves and suits on and ready and mess with me more later. For now–-we’re gonna be late!”

 _He’s right_ , Gongenzaka thinks as the twenty-minute warning blares from the stadium’s jumbo screens and they sprint off to meet their matches.  _I’ve been dragged all this way for Duel Day, so I might as well overwhelm the other teams in the tournament with my Steadfast-Synchro deck._

_With Dennis and Shun at my side, nothing is impossible. There’s no way we won’t win._

_It’s time… to duel!_


End file.
